This week on Glee we had the opposite of last week: depth, nuance, plot development, and a modestly dressed cast. Where last week was a relative failure (an extended music video, if you will), this episode was a success in that it gave viewers an insight into the internal lives of characters we already know and love. We heard Finn, Rachel, Kurt and Mercedes sing, each of them carrying a different song, and in turn, representing a different sort of of faith. In under an hour, the tired arc of son-disappointments-father/father-falls-into-coma found new life, mostly due to Kurt’s emotional performance. Still, it was a bit much, sometimes venturing into Spanish telenovela territory. Below, Boyfriend and Girlfriend test their faith in Glee.
[Note: Boyfriend is in plain text, girlfriend in bold.]
Boyfriend: Friday night dinners are "sacred" in Kurt’s house. Hmmmm. What does that sound like?
Girlfriend: All I know is I totally identify with Kurt — growing up, my parents would absolutely not let me out of the house on Friday nights. Sure, they used Shabbos as an excuse, but still let me watch tv and turn the lights on and off. All that mattered is that "we were together," which really meant "watching different tvs under one roof."
"Most churches don’t like gay people, or women, or science" Best quote of the season so far that isn’t coming from Sue?
I think it’s not a great quote, but that it’s something true that someone finally said. That, if anything, is what makes it great.
Puck: "Jew for Jesus. He’s my #1 Heeb." Then he rips into a really sissy version Billy Joel’s "Only the Good Die Young" What did you think about that.
Puck is all bark and no bite — when it comes down to it, he’s just a muscley man that loves to prance around with an acoustic guitar. I really hope he didn’t actually mean he was a Jew for Jesus, because that is weird, even for Glee.
Mercedes shined in this episode.
When does she not? Top 5 church choir scene in the history of church choir scenes.
Okay I SWEAR I was just typing "this is like the Christopher Hitchens episode" and as I looked at the Facebook feed, I noticed Tablet Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Alana Newhouse, typed the same thing. Was this some mental meme shared by Jews?
I didn’t think so. It was more like the moralistic episode. I kept thinking about all the times I left my parents on a sour note, and how awful that is.
Okay, I also like Finn’s response to Rachel wanting Jewish babies: "Jew church, wear those hats…"
Grilled Cheesus is wise, and clearly He has passed that wisdom unto Finn.
Let’s talk Yentl. Thoughts? Unlike Jacob Ben Israel last week, Glee is being good for the Jews. Also, does singing Barbara songs count as praying?
This week’s depiction of Glee Jews was a lot better than last week, which did not (and still doesn’t) sit well with me. Unlike Jacob Ben Israel, Rachel uses her spirituality to enhance her sensitivity towards Kurt, and allows herself to step outside her normally self-involved worldview. She does exhibit some selfless behavior, which is very unlike her. Whether Rachel is on the path to redemption, I can’t say. All I know is that Streisand counts as prayer! She’s practically got her own Shul.
How much do you think The Beatles song cost?
A billion dollars. The first thing I said when I heard it was "this must have been so expensive."
So going from Grilled Cheesus to "Losing My Religion"
Pretty perfect — and I thought the normally wishy washy Finn did a great Michael Stipe interpretation. It was a bit literal though, but all the songs this week were very heavy handed, however lovely.
Sue playing checkers with her sister: that scene killed me.
I liked it, but Sue’s sister is an easy way for the writers to keep Sue likable. I think it is a touching detail, but they are going to start having to try harder if they want to keep Sue in that special place reserved for lovable villains.
Grilled Cheesus is a trending topic right now on Twitter: Best Glee meme of the year?
Makes me hungry, so yeah. Best Glee meme. All hail Grilled Cheesus!